Alex Gonzalez | First Baseman

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Royals signed infielder Alex S. Gonzalez to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.

Gonzalez, 33, announced his retirement last May after starting out 4-for-36 with the Phillies. It's not much of a surprise to see him back, and he joined the one team he could potentially start for, though the Royals are certain to give Angel Berroa one more chance to keep his job. Fri, Jan 12, 2007 04:20:00 PM

Phillies announced the retirement of infielder Alex Gonzalez.

Gonzalez was undoubtedly frustrated by the lack of playing time in Philadelphia, as well as his 4-for-36 start. Still, it seems unlikely that this will be a permanent retirement for the 33-year-old. Chris Coste will replace him on the Phillies' bench and act mostly as a pinch-hitter. If Gonzalez's career is truly over, he ends up at .243/.302/.391 with 137 homers in 1,396 games over 13 seasons. Sun, May 21, 2006 01:51:00 PM

Phillies signed infielder Alex S. Gonzalez, who had been with the Devil Rays, to a one-year, $750,000 contract.

He can earn up to $1 million in performance bonuses, getting the full amount if he has 130 starts and 500 plate appearances. Gonzalez will serve as a backup at shortstop and third and may see some time in the outfield. There's a chance he'll get enough at-bats to produce a little fantasy value, but the Phillies will probably give Abraham Nunez a lot more playing time than Gonzalez initially. Wed, Feb 8, 2006 03:05:00 PM

The Phillies are close to signing free-agent infielder Alex Gonzalez.

This is a team that should be looking to add a fifth outfielder or a right-handed-hitting first baseman. A fourth utility infielder hardly seems like a priority, though Gonzalez probably is an upgrade over Abraham Nunez, Tomas Perez and Matt Kata. His addition could result in the release of Perez, who is entering the second year of a two-year deal. When are teams ever going to learn not to give multiyear deals to utilitymen? Tue, Feb 7, 2006 03:31:00 AM

Depth Charts

Nationals catching prospect Raudy Read has been suspended 80 games without pay for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.

Read, 23, tested positive for Boldenone, a drug that is on the list of banned PEDs under Major League Baseball's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. The suspension will be effective at the beginning of the 2018 regular season. Read hit 17 homers with a .767 OPS for Double-A Harrisburg in 2017 and received a September callup to the Nationals after his minor league season was completed.

Nationals manager Dave Martinez said Friday that Daniel Murphy (knee) is "right on target" with his rehab.

The hope is that Murphy is ready to go on Opening Day following a debridement and microfracture surgery on his right knee last October, and so far he's on track. Of course, things could change as Murphy goes through drills and spring training games, so keep a close eye on how he looks in Grapefruit League action.

Nationals placed RHP Joe Ross on the 60-day disabled list with a right elbow injury.

Ross underwent Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery last July and will miss the majority of the 2018 season. This move cleared out a 40-man roster spot for veteran reliever Joaquin Benoit, who was officially signed to a one-year, $1 million contract on Wednesday morning.

Koda Glover (shoulder) has yet to do anything throwing in Nationals camp.

Glover deal with shoulder (and back) issues last season and had a recent MRI that showed he still has some inflammation. "We’re going to give him some time," manager Dave Martinez said. Glover has the potential to be a shutdown reliever, but the injury issues are worrisome.